Updates About In-Person Activities and More - Letter from Pastor Chris
This letter was sent to all members of the Trinity family on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
To view the letter in its original print form, please tap here to download a PDF.
Dear Trinity Family,
For over a year now I have been writing letters to you discussing Trinity’s response to the pandemic as we have navigated these uncharted waters. Today, I am delighted to be writing you to say we are beginning the process of returning to large-group, in-person activities. In addition, I have other exciting updates about our life together over the medium and long term.
Pandemic Updates
Over the past two weeks 128 members of the Trinity family, representing a broad cross-section of our community, took our survey about returning to in-person activities. We learned that the vast majority of those taking the survey (89%) were already fully vaccinated, with an additional 10% having received one dose with the second dose scheduled. We also learned that safety measures like masking and physical distancing are widely supported, with over 97% of respondents saying they would attend Trinity events with those measures in place.
Questions about when individuals would be ready to return to in-person activities received more varied answers. This is not surprising, as individual comfort levels vary depending on circumstances. Just over a third (36%) of respondents said they would consider attending a large-group, outdoor event right now. However, a majority (65%) reported they wouldn’t consider attending a large-group, indoor event until the vaccination rate in the broader Springfield community reaches between 50% and 70%.
This past Sunday, the Trinity Session reviewed the survey data and plans from our partners at Brentwood, along with guidance from the CDC, Springfield-Greene County Health Department, and the PC(USA). We believe the data supports taking the following actions to best care for the spiritual and physical health of our congregation:
Large-Group, Outdoor Events
Effective immediately, the Session has approved holding large-group, outdoor events. We are planning an outdoor event for Sunday, May 16, 2021. While many of the details still need sorted out, this event will include both worship and fellowship. It will be held at Trinity on the front lawn either over lunch or dinner and you will be invited to bring your own picnic meal if you wish. Masking and distancing will be required. In addition, Session has set a goal of holding at least one large-group, outdoor event per month until we return to in-person, weekly worship in the sanctuary.
Level 3 of our Framework for Pandemic Response
Session has voted to move Trinity to Level 3 of our Framework when the City of Springfield moves to the “Green” level of the Road to Recovery ordinance. The markers for the “Green” level include:
50% vaccination rate among residents age 16 and over in the City of Springfield
Under 20 new cases per day
Under 20 individuals in COVID isolation in local hospitals
Once the City of Springfield moves to the “Green” level of the ordinance, Trinity will move to Level 3 of our Framework for Pandemic Response. Here are the key details about Level 3:
Large-group worship remains online
Small groups may be present during the recording or broadcast of worship
Small groups may meet indoors for meetings, study, and fellowship
During this transitional time, we continually seek ways to make our worship activities available in a variety of ways to all members of the Trinity family. While we still have some logistics to work out, our intent is to first open the recordings of our worship service to those individuals in the Trinity family who have limited access to our online services. Then, depending on available space we hope to open the services to additional interested individuals. If vaccination rates hold steady, it is possible the City may move to “Green” (and Trinity to Level 3) sometime late May or early June. Once this move happens, the Session will review the situation each month to determine when we will move to Level 4: indoor, large-group worship services.
Relationship with Brentwood
In addition to the very exciting news that we are moving to return to in-person activities, I also have some exciting medium- and long-term news about our life together. First, the medium-term news about our continuing relationship with Brentwood Christian Church. In March 2017, Trinity entered into a 4-year Access Agreement with Brentwood. This Agreement has served our congregation well but was nearing the end of its term. Last summer we began conversations with Brentwood about a renewed Access Agreement, and last month both the Trinity Session and the Brentwood Board approved this new Agreement.
Here are some key details about the new Agreement:
It is a 5-year Agreement, with the option for up to two additional years, for a total possible term of 7 years
Trinity may decide, with 180 days’ notice, that we wish to end the agreement early
(i.e., if we wish to move to another facility)
The Agreement simplifies our relationship with Brentwood, removing our responsibility for custodial
services and maintenance expenses in exchange for a set monthly access fee
Each congregation has committed to investing $50,000 in capital improvements over the next 24 months. Additionally, a joint escrow account of about $23,000 (previously set aside for maintenance expenses) will also be used to fund capital improvements.
We have already begun planning work on several capital improvement projects long requested by Trinity’s members, including a new outdoor sign for the facility and upgrades to the lighting and flooring in the sanctuary. Over the coming months we will be sharing more about the details and timeline of these exciting projects as we work to improve the shared space of Trinity and Brentwood.
Building the Trinity Legacy
Since our founding, Trinity has been a community marked by generosity. One of the results of this generosity has been the growth of our reserve fund over the past years to over $680,000. For some time now our Finance Committee and Trustees have been exploring ways for us to invest these funds in ways to best meet the long-term goals of our congregation.
Today, I’m delighted to share that we are creating two Trinity Legacy funds. These funds will be long-term investments designed to grow our capacity to meet the future goals and priorities of Trinity. Each will be established with an initial investment of $250,000 from our Trinity reserve funds.
Here are a few key details about the two funds:
Trinity Mission Legacy Fund
Invested with the Presbyterian Foundation, this fund will return 4% annually to Trinity to support Mission & Public Witness projects. The remainder of proceeds will be reinvested into the fund. This will allow us, over the long-term, to both increase our Mission impact and grow the fund.
Trinity Facility Legacy Fund
Invested with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO), this fund will reinvest all proceeds back into the fund to grow the balance over time. The purpose of this fund is to grow assets to be used for a future facility project or other capital improvements to benefit Trinity.
By partnering with Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Presbyterian Foundation, we can operate these Legacy Funds with a much lower financial and governance overhead that we would experience with a traditional endowment or foundation, saving Trinity both time and money. Additionally, we will be moving a portion of our remaining reserve funds to a money market account with CFO to establish an operating reserve fund which remains FDIC insured, but gets a better return than our current account.
In the coming months we will be sharing more about how planned giving, including through our Legacy Funds, can help your generosity have a lasting impact here at Trinity. If you would like to discuss making a gift to one of our Legacy Funds, please contact me or Treasurer Steve Kane.
Trinity: Moving Forward, Together
There is no denying this past year has been hard on each of us and on our community. Yet, through it all, Trinity has remained strong. We have found new ways of being together for worship, study, and service. We have stepped up and helped our community in new and bold ways through our mission initiatives. We have held hard conversations about race and violence. And in all of it, we have been faithful to our call to be God’s people.
Over the coming months there will be many reasons to rejoice. We are now on the pathway to being back together in-person, and we can see the day – even if a bit farther off than we would like – when we will sit together in the sanctuary and sing God’s praises together once again. We will watch together as this new phase in our relationship with Brentwood is marked in visible ways with a new sign and a brighter sanctuary. We will give thanks for the generosity of the past that is allowing us to build a legacy for the future.
As always, thank you for being part of the Trinity family. We are stronger because you are here, and I am grateful to be your pastor.
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Christopher Miller
Pastor and Head of Staff
Trinity Presbyterian Church
Springfield, MO
